music

WrestleMania Weekend is upon us! Fans across the world wait all year for this epic event and it’s finally here. On my end, it’s become more of a multi-day celebration of watching old ppv’s, checking out the Hall of Fame and NXT Takeover. OH and drinking Tequila and eating way too damn much. What a blast! Let’s head down to ringside…

Me and Dinosaur Dracula wanted to present our love of the WWE once again on the Purple Stuff Podcast. Last year’s WWE show was a blast so we’re doing it again. This time, we’re counting down some of the most underrated and often overlooked WWE Theme songs of all time. These aren’t your typical entrance themes that usually get bandied around on top 50 lists. Matt and I have both brought some really “special” tunes. Yes, you might connect with the Ultimate Warrior’s theme, and I do too obviously, but something has to be said for the lesser WWE Superstars of yore.

The latest episode comes in time for you to enjoy it as part of your WrestleMania parties. Thank you for listening and reading! If you want to support our show you can subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and spread the word! We’d love to hear some of your underrated classic theme songs below.

The Sexy Armpit has always been a little bit comic book geek, a little bit rock and roll. Through over a decade on the Internet, one of the staples featured on the site has been the reigning kings of New York City’s rock scene, The Dirty Pearls. They’ve amassed a monstrous, loyal fan base, tour the country, and even show up at swank clubs to sing and play with the rest of their NYC crew known as The Rivington Rebels, whose legend precedes them. Am I jealous that there’s no Route 9 Rebels? No, because I just invented it, and I’m Master of Ceremonies of the New Jersey Chapter, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to score this interview! Just ahead of their upcoming tour and forthcoming new album, our friend and lead singer of The Dirty Pearls, Tommy London, took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some of those classic “Jay” questions that I always have.

To arrive at their optimum relaxation zone, some people listen to the soothing sprinkle of a rainstorm or the natural sounds of a tropical rain-forest. But, for my ears, there’s something about TV theme songs that I find strangely comforting. Maybe it’s little details like the “sha-la-la-la” at the end of the Family Ties theme or the hum at the end of the Diff’rent Strokes intro that make me have that extra fondness for them. If you consider yourself the same kind of wacko, then you’re reading the right website! This week, the Purple Stuff Podcast brings you a show entirely dedicated to a select bunch of TV theme songs.

To say that my iTunes is quite a hodgepodge of various types of music is an understatement. If you listened to one of my playlists while driving around with me, you’d likely hear one of hundreds of TV theme songs. Chances are, you’d know the lyrics to the majority of them. That’s what makes it fun. You don’t even need to be an avid viewer of a show to have the theme song stuck in your head, which makes the genre that much more incredible. This is one of the reasons why I felt so compelled to convince Matt that we should do a whole show about some of the TV themes that stand out most to us.

After an arm bar into an Irish whip, followed up by a flying forearm, Matt agreed that it was a good idea. I’m kidding of course, but it did take a little bit of convincing since it is so difficult to do a show like this and not be accused of leaving all the important themes out. Everyone has their favorites, but these are just a handful that we felt compelled to talk about. Some of your favorites are ours too, but we’d need 8 episodes to touch on ALL the good ones.

Personally, I think some of the best TV theme songs are the ones that work on different levels. Some TV themes are great for what they are and work splendidly as a theme for a show, yet other TV themes soar beyond that. There are TV themes that are so catchy that you wonder how the hell they haven’t been deemed required curriculum in music classes in schools. Others are so versatile that they could be covered by metal and punk bands. Most of all, the best TV themes are the ones that pop into your brain the minute you hear someone mention the name of the show that it’s from.

I demand equality for TV theme songs. Even though a show’s theme usually undergoes subtle changes between seasons, a TV theme has the power to bring to mind the full reel of scenes in the opening credits. I loved when the opening credits of a show were so ridiculous. You can sit there and pick out the episode that each scene was from. The theme will also make you reminisce and sing along. Some themes are cheerful or quirky while others are arena-ready and triumphant. In all cases, there’s a lot to discuss so check out The Purple Stuff Podcast Episode 27 and share some of your favorite theme songs in the comments!

To reference Ice Cube, today was a good day. Fall is officially in session and the temperature here in New Jersey has dropped from the mid-80s last week down to maybe 12 degrees today. Of course I’m exaggerating slightly, but the cool air is so comforting. I am not one for the heat and I’ve been waiting for it to get cooler outside so I can crack open the windows, hear the crickets in the background, and actually believe that it’s Halloween time. Trust me, roasting in 90 degree temperatures is not a way to celebrate the spookiest of seasons. It’s almost as if Halloween time arrived overnight here in Jersey, completely out of nowhere, like Santa Claus coming down the chimney last night. Before you start listening to this week’s episode of The Purple Stuff Podcast, let me update you on a few things.

Several weeks back, Matt broke the news that Burger King was going to start selling HALLOWEEN MOTHA’F*CKIN’ WHOPPERS! We discussed it on the podcast and ever since I’ve been waiting with extreme antici…pation. I’m a lifelong BK fan from an early age, and although they didn’t have the enticing playground and Officer Big Mac Jail Cell that scarred me for life, my Dad and I frequently got Whoppers at Burger King and those are some of the greatest, simplest memories of my childhood. Sitting there eating junk and bullshitting about toys and whatever else I thought was intellectual when I was 5 years old to my Dad who was always genuinely interested in what I was saying.

Earlier today, after several hours of editing a piece of the Halloween special, (that ultimately will only amount to about 35 seconds in the final cut) I decided to venture out to run a few errands. I’m a man of efficiency, so I decided to stop at the store that was near one of our BK’s. To my surprise, I spotted the poster in the window from about a half mile away. I can’t see that last line of a vision test, but sure as shit can see a Halloween hamburger poster from triple the distance. I’m going to leave the detailed review to Dino Drac, but I must say, the A1 steak sauce in the bun gives the entire burger an extra tang that it didn’t have. I wouldn’t say that I like it better than the original Whopper, but I would definitely eat them if they came around each year. Plus, the crown of bones is pretty friggin’ great. Thanks to Matt for bringing this to our attention!

In other news, I’ve promised to have a production blog posted, and unfortunately that hasn’t happened yet. The reason for this is because the production of the Halloween Special 2015 has sucked up every second of my personal life, hence leaving me very little time to write posts. I am going to be relaying my thoughts on this special and the process of making it very soon. It feels like I can’t write about it until it’s nearly completed because I might jinx it. That’s just superstition though.

To cap off an awesome day, grab yourself some pumpkin anything, a cold beverage, and join Matt and I for tonight’s episode of The Purple Stuff Podcast! This week we get into one of my favorite subjects: music! We count down some of our favorite Spooky Songs and try to formulate the type of playlist you would hear at a Halloween Party, but a party that only lasts about 45 minutes. We’d also like to hear your favorite Spooky Songs so tell us about them in the comments or on Twitter! Appropriately, we also premiere our cool new theme song from our friends Leopardactyl! Thanks so much to them for making it and thanks to all of you for listening!